Snapshot: BMW has announced the production schedule of i8 hypercar. The car will reach to European market by June this year

BMW has announced the start of production of its hyper car, the i8, by April this year. The first car will be delivered to an European customer in June and is likely to reach our shores before the end of 2014. Along with the aforementioned details, the company has also announced the i8's final technical specifications, equipments on offer and its efficiency figures, which hybrid cars aficionados were craving to know before.

The futuristic looking i8 is a hybrid super car, powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine that produces 231 BHP of power and 320 Nm of torque. Petrol engine output might slightly disappoint you but it is synchronised with an 131 BHP and 250 Nm electric motor that jointly makes the i8 capable of achieving 0-100 kmph in just 4.4 seconds! Top speed is electronically limited to 250 kmph in hybrid mode while it can go upto 120 kmph in full-electric mode with range of 37 kilometers. Apart from these exhilarating figures, i8 delivers the claimed mileage of 47.36 kmpl (under European test cycle), which undoubtedly is hard to expect from such a high performance car.

Interestingly, i8 will be world's first production car to come with laser headlights. This never-seen-before feature will be available as an additional offering. Laser headlights are 30 per cent more energy efficient than similar LED-equipped headlights with a range of up to 600 meters. The body shell is majorly made up of extremely light weight materials to keep the car's overall weight considerably down. Furthermore, the eye-catching aerodynamic design including the lift-up doors makes the i8 arm-candy for enthusiasts. BMW will bring the i8 via CBU route to Indian shores and it is expected to cost a minimum of Rs. 1.5 crores.